Super boots send Wallabies-Argentina Tri Nations clash to stalemate

For the second time in six weeks Hodge - who had already nailed five penalties - had a chance to win a Test for the Wallabies, only for his attempt to fade and leave the contest in a stalemate.

This time the Australians could only manage a 15-15 draw with Argentina in their Tri Nations clash in Newcastle on Saturday night.

"It's pretty hard to put into words, I feel like I've let the whole country down," a dejected Hodge said on Channel Ten's post-game coverage.

The Pumas had a chance to steal it well after the siren before the ball was taken into touch, with missed opportunities on both sides of the ball leaving the Tri Nations trophy up for grabs.

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The Wallabies enjoyed 62 per cent of possession and 69 per cent of territory yet failed to muster a try. Hodge's five penalties were all the men in gold could manage, but it wouldn't be enough for a win with Argentina's Nicolas Sanchez returning serve with five of his own.

The fact Argentina have a chance to secure top spot in this tournament is simply remarkable. Their historic win over the All Blacks a week ago was the crown jewel in a tumultuous year.

Coach Mario Ledesma was in tears after that historic win, months after contracting COVID-19. Fifteen members of the touring party suffered from the virus too.

Staff isolated in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, players trained without footballs and instead pretended to catch and pass them, tackle bags were rested on posts and fences.

Some felt the Pumas' boilover against New Zealand would be too tough to replicate against a Wallabies outfit on home soil. Yet they were as resilient as anyone could hope.

Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper opted against shots at goal when the penalty count piled up in Australia's favour yet they failed to make the most of their seemingly countless opportunities.

Jordan Petaia went within millimetres of scoring a try but his right boot touched the dead ball line before he grounded the ball in the 16^th minute. Marika Koroibete crossed the line late in the half but Tom Banks' last pass was ruled forward.

It felt as though the Wallabies could have been 20 points clear and it would have been a fitting margin, such was the class of Nic White, Petaia, and Tom Wright in the back line. Matt Philip was strong while Scott Sio and Taniela Tupou dominated the scrum.

Yet a 9-6 advantage was all they could manage at the half-time break. Argentina were on the backfoot early in the second stanza when Julian Montoya was sin-binned.

The Wallabies soon led 15-6 after 56 minutes before Argentina clawed their way back into the contest via their opposition's ill-discipline and the boot of Sanchez, who would level the scores and set up a grandstand finish.

Should the All Blacks avenge last week's shock loss to Argentina with a bonus-point win on Saturday, the Wallabies could face the impossible task of needing to thrash the Pumas by some 80 or 90 points in the last game to snatch the trophy.

Thus the Wallabies are sweating on the Pumas repeating their historic win over the All Blacks to keep their hopes alive.

"We had a chance to really put a stranglehold on that and go into the last game just requiring a win. We've left the door open so it's obviously a big game between New Zealand and Argentina next week," Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said.

"At 15-6, we really had control of the game and we had chances to pin them into the corners and we had a fair bit of success with kicking and it looks like we got bored of it.

"We played and overplayed and turned the ball over and let them back into the game. Yeah, disappointing. We should have closed it out and really let ourselves down."

It seemed as though the Wallabies might pull it out of the fire late in the piece, but Petaia put a kick in to turn over possession with 15 seconds remaining rather than sending the ball through the hands.

The Pumas launched a counter attack and went the distance before Jake Gordon cleaned up a loose ball and dived over the sideline deep just shy of the Wallabies' line.

All three sides are now tied on six points on the Tri Nations ladder, but the Pumas have two games in hand as opposed to the Wallabies and All Blacks, who each have one to play.

AT A GLANCE

Tri-Nations game four: AUSTRALIA 15 (Reece Hodge 5 penalties) drew with ARGENTINA 15 (Nicolas Sanchez 5 penalties) at Newcastle Stadium.